


The Dragon and Her Wolves

by xtubbyx



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Female Eragon, First Love, Heartbreak, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8727370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtubbyx/pseuds/xtubbyx
Summary: Eragana and her companions have been travelling all over the world for the past fifteen years, looking for the perfect home for the dragons when they come across Westeros. Having been at sea for two months they decide to make make for land, and find themselves in the North. News of the strange travellers spreads fast and soon they find themselves invited to Winterfell.





	1. Arrival

All OC's are my own however if i get any meanings wrong forgive me, not quite sure what i'm doing but this idea just won't leave me alone. you may notice that I've gone very old Norse for a lot of the names. Just trying to give the feeling of Eragana travelling around the world and picking up strays. Hope some people enjoy it.

Chapter One

The three strange ships made anchor just past the three sisters, while a lone ship approached the harbour of White Harbour like a graceful swan. The like's of this ship had never been seen before by anyone in Westeros. It was this ship that had carried Eragana away from Alagaësia fifteen years ago. Since then five more ships have been added to her collection as she travelled to places no one person had been before. As her ship approached this new land she looked up to the sky where she could just see the speck that was Saphira, flying so high that she would be mistaken for a bird should anyone be looking up. As the ship started to make dock she thought on the three ships anchored at a safe distance, waiting for the signal from saphira on whether to make for the harbour or back out to sea. It was Eragana and her companions job to find out if this was a land that they could make land for a short time.

One of the ship's was for the three new male riders that she had managed to find over the last fifteen years, the eggs having hatched for them. The oldest dragon after Saphira was now eleven, a deep purple female that goes by the name of Turid, named by her rider Arne after the female version of the God of his religion. Eragana had saved Arne's life twelve years ago from a ship wreck, and had been unable to get him to leave her side ever since, his family having perished in the wreck. After a year of him proving his loyalty she placed a dragon egg in front of him and Turid hatched. Since then they have trained alongside Saphira and Eragana, with Turid and Saphira developing a very close friendship.

The next two eggs didn't hatch until six years after Turid and hatched within months of each other. Both where male and where very similar in looks. Dumer was the oldest of the two, a deep golden colour with black spikes where as Snorre (meaning unruly one) was a lighter golden with white spikes. Ironically their riders where twins. Eragana found them on a small Island called Theed that was having a problem with pirates who where hired to take over the island by a greedy chief of the near by Island of Zante for it's coal mine, Eragana and Arne where able to destroy the pirates operation and expose the Chief of Zante for what he was.

Dumer's rider was called Rolf. He was able to get his hands on a egg by accident, after having snuck onto Eragana's ship, The Blue Dragon, during a feast that was being held in her honour, and found a egg that Eragana had been watching as Saphira could sense some movement in it. Dumer had felt that his destined was close by and had started to wake up.

After Dumer hatched for Rolf, Eragana revealed Saphira to the village and explained how she was trying to start up a new order and trying to find a home for it. Olav, jealous of his twin, asked to be tested, and Snorre hatched for him. The Cheif of Theed, Asmund, let Eragana know that there was nowhere suitable near by for the dragons but that they would pledge there alligence and support to her in return for her protection. Eragana agreed, stating that she would train the twins and they're dragons so that they could eventually take over the protections of Theed when they where ready.

When at sea the three riders lived aboard The Islingr (Light-bringer). She was a war ship, gifted to the order by Asmund, that had seen a lot of battle, but she was sturdy, which was needed with three dragons trying to land on it. Only Dumer or Snorre could land on the deck of her now with Turid having grown so much. Which was what the third ship was for. Named The Nest, for that was what it was for the dragons. With only a skeleton crew of the elves The Nest was a ship reinforced in every way possible to give the dragons somewhere to rest on long journeys at sea.

Each ship was able to carry its own supplies but on longer journeys The Dragons Pearl joined them. She was a cargo ship, designed to take larger loads and capable of transporting livestock. Eragana needed to find out if she could get the Dragons Pearl in to the dock alongside the Blue Dragon in order to restock her cargo and turn the horses lose for a few weeks. The Dragons Pearl had twenty horses on board and Eragana wanted to give them a break on dry land.

Once the Blue dragon had finally docked, Eragana asked Arne, who had joined her on the Blue Dragon along with Rolf and Olav, to join her on the bridge.

"You remember the plan? She asked him

"Yes Ana, i remember the plan. It's the same plan we use every new land we come across. I go down with Rolf, Lance and Garth to ask for an audience with however is in charge of trade and explain that we are travellers and that my Lady wishes to discuss a trade negotiation to fill up our ship that is sitting just outside the bay." Arne said with the tone of someone that goes through this a lot.

"Just making sure, no need to get sarcastic" Eragana replied. Arne rolled his eyes and turned to leave, calling out to Rolf as he did. Eragana watched from the bridge as the four men got ready to disembark, trying to get a hold of her instincts, which where screaming at her that this land would forever change her life.

Arne

As soon as he stepped of the ship, Arne stretched out with his mind and skimmed the thoughts of those near by. The ship itself had already attracted attention, the design so different to those ships already in the harbour. Arne was relieved to find that he could understand the thoughts of the men around him so they're wouldn't have a language barrier. the quartet hadn't made it more the ten steps from the ship when they spotted a official looking man coming down the dock with three guard behind him. "Obviously prepared for trouble, don't be giving him a reason to need to use those guards" Arne muttered to Rolf in the Ancient language. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rolf smirk, he had caused a few problems in the past by getting smart with people.

The approaching quartet finally made it to Arne's party and blocked the way further down the gangway. "Gentlemen, welcome to White Harbour. I am Ser Oswald Trench, master of this ship yard, Is there any way that i could be of assistance?

Arne crossed his right arm across his chest and bowed his head in greeting before dropping his arm again. "Ser Oswald, i am Lord Arne of Trune, speaking for my Lady Eragana Argetlam. We are travellers from a distant land and have been at sea for over two months and are in need of supplies. She requests an audience for a trade negotiation in order to resupply the four ships that she has with her".

" Yes yes, i'm sure we will be able to work something out" Arne could see in the mans eyes that he was already thinking about the amount of gold this could make them, "I will pass the request onto my Lord"

Again Arne bowed his head in thanks, " My Lady also requests me to inquire about suitable lodgings for the night".

"Yes my Lord. I am sure that my Lord will be more than happy to host the Lady Eragana, i will go straight to him" Ser Oswald replied, he then pointed to the guard to his right who stepped forward and gave a slight bow." In the meantime Cain here will be at your disposal" before turning around and heading back up the gangway.

Arne turned his attention to Cain and asked "Is there a stables nearby that we could house my lady's horse?"

"Yes my Lord, just at the mouth of the docks"

Arne nodded his head before turning to Lance and telling him to go and unload Eragana's horse, Spartan. The Black stallion, who was the only horse that travelled on The Blue Dragon, was a temperamental beast. He had two people that he liked, Eragana and his stable boy, Luke. Anyone else took they're life into they're own hands by approaching him. So where Spartan went, Luke followed.

Arne turned back to Cain and explained to him about Spartans attitude towards everyone but his mistress and, in his eyes, his servant. Cain suggested they go onto the stables to make sure that there was a suitable stall for the temperamental stallion.

By the time they has Spartan in his stallion and those who worked in the stables warned Ser Oswald had made it back from meeting with his Lord, with the news that he would host the Lady Eragana and her guards in his home and that he requested that she join him and his family for an evening meal.

Arne made his way back to the ship to give the illusion of having to Inform his Lady of the news, when he knew she already knew, having sensed her keeping a mental eye on the whole proceedings.

As he suspected, she met him on the deck of the ship along with Arlene, her maid. As he approached she said "they are just bringing up our stuff now" and true enough not five seconds later three elves disguised as Eragana's guards came from her quarters with a trunk each. Arne knew that Eragana didn't need half the stuff in them but they had found that when approaching unknown Lords it's best to give of the appearance of someone important.

Eragana descended from the ship like a queen. Everyone in the crowd that had gathered in the time since the Blue Dragon had docked stopped what they where doing and stared as she made her way towards the carriage that was waiting to take Eragana from the docks. Arne could see Ana's face trying to screw up in displeasure when she spotted the carriage. She hated carriages. Hated giving up control to someone else. Arlene got in the carriage with her and Arne closed the door after him and went to the horses waiting behind. The Elves and Humans that made up Eragana's guard where already mounted. Arne approached and mounted the bay gelding that was standing in between the twins two grey mare's, before following the carriage away from the docks.

Well that's my attempt at a first chapter. Hope some people where able to follow it. I'm not very good at this. Also not sure how often i will update. It wasn't until i started writing that i realised of much research i will need to do. And i know I've left out two ships, they're not with them atm.


	2. Lord Wyman Manderly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Manderly meets the Lady Eragana

For this chapter i really don't know anything about boat's so please just go with it.

Chapter 2

Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor, was intrigued. While White Harbor was a busy trade port, never before had they hosted the likes of the party that stood in front of him. The head of the party was introduced to him by ser Oswald as Lady Eragana, and she was beautiful. She was a tall and slender lady with brown eyes and long brown hair that fell in soft waves down her back. She wore a strange outfit of a fitted top that had the look of armour in a pale blue colour that then flowed into a knee length dress. On her legs she had legging and knee high boots. It was obviously an outfit designed to allow her to move easily while at the same time still looked ladylike. Over the top she wore a cape in a darker blue. From inside the cape he could just see the hilt of sword. Clearly this lady was not to be underestimated. Wyman could see that she had the attention of every man in his hall, and he couldn't blame them.

Behind her stood her guards. There was eight guards with her in total and all where in a silvery white armour with there hands resting on the hilts of their swords. Five of them had capes in the same blue colour as the Lady Eragana's flowing down their back. Wyman took this to mean her house colour, although he had yet to see a house sigual. Only three of the men had different capes. The two men that where obviously twins had capes that where gold. One had a black stitching around the edge while the other was done in white. The final man, who was obviously the man in charge after his Lady, had a dark purple cape. He was standing right up behind the Lay Eragana, watching the men in the hall that had taken such an interest in his Lady.

"Lady Eragana, welcome to New Castle. Please, sit and have some food and drink" Wyman wanted to get these strangers under guest right, and hoped they understood what that meant. Once invoked, neither the guest can harm they're host nor the host harm they're guest for the length of the guest's stay. Lady Eragana seemed to stare at him for a few moments before she smiled, dipped her head slightly and spoke for the first time since entering his hall.

"Lord Manderly, we would be honoured to share bread with you". she said in a voice so light and musical Wyman could swear he could hear his guards tremble in pleasure.

Wyman almost sighed in relief. For her to specifically say bread meant that she had understood what he was trying to do. He stood up and gestured to the chair sitting to his left, while his man servant rushed up to pull the chair out. The man in the purple cape followed her and took the seat beside her while the rest of her guards settled around the hall. Noticing his gaze on her companion she introduced him as her right hand man, Lord Arne.

"Ser Oswald mentioned that you where looking for supplies for you ship. What all is it that you are looking for? "Wyman asked, wanting to get a measure of her.

"I am looking to get my ship's resupplied" she started, but Wyman interrupted her "Ships? i was told that you arrived in one ship" he said while glaring down at Oswald.

"We only brought one ship in. We where unsure as to the size of your harbour so we left the other three ship out in the bay".

'three more ships', this might just might get them a good chuck of gold, his ire at Oswald forgotten.

"However we are unsure as to your currency, so we brought with us precious gems in order to do business" as she spoke two of her guards brought forward a chest the length of his fore arm, that he hadn't noticed before and placed it on the table in front of them. They opened up the lid and inside where gems the likes he had never seen before. They where beautiful, and Wyman was sure, cost a fortune.

"We are also hoping to stay and explore this land, before we move on, so we are looking to exchange some of these gems for your currency"

Wyman, who hadn't taken his eyes of the gems replied "Yes yes of course, i'm sure we can come to some agreement. May i ask, What sort of gems are these?"

"We call them White Sapphire's, mined from my home land" Lady Eragana replied. "They make gorgeous jewellery" she said and lifted her left hand, where a simple delicate ring of three sapphires sat on her middle finger, and showed him it. Wyman agreed, it was gorgeous. "They can be cut to what ever size you desire, i simply like them smaller. I can have my man show your jeweller how it is done if it is needed."

"Yes yes, but first lets talk about what supplies you need"

"My quartermaster has made a list of all that we need" As she said this Lord Arne reached into his cloak and brought out a piece of parchment and handed it to Lady Eragana, who then passed it on to him. Wyman opened the parchment and looked down the list. There was nothing extravagant on list, which surprised him, just essential materials needed for a working ship. He'd of thought with a Lady on board she would of went all out.

"There is nothing on this that should be much of a problem. How soon are you needing it? he asked.

"We are in no hurry for most of it, perhaps just some food, water and ale that can be sent out to the ships in the bay to keep them going. We would like to bring one of the ships in and unload the horses if there was the space for them to be stabled"

"How many horses are we talking" Wyman asked, thinking it would only be a few.

"We have twenty horse's on board the Dragons Pearl. My own horse was on board the Blue Dragon and has already been unloaded and settled.

Wyman turned to Ser Oswald, and said "Go to the stables and speak to the stables master, ask how many stables he has free and if there is enough room for the Lady Eragana's party". Ser Oswald was nearly out the door before he stopped speaking. He then turned back to Lady Eragana and said "If you will send word to your ship to come in we can get them settled, i would be honoured to host you and your party"

Eragana rewarded him with an other smile that lit up the room and thanked him for his hospitality before turning to one of the twins "Rolf, go back to the Blue Dragon and send word to the Pearl that they may come in to unload. The Nest and the The Islingr can stay out a little longer"

The twin that stood was tall and dark haired. If it wasn't for the gold tinted armour and slightly feline features, Wyman would of mistaken him for a northerner.

Rolf looked to his Lady and bowed "Yes my Lady" he said before turning for the door.

As the door closed behind him the servants came forward with wine, bread and cold cuts. Wyman motioned for Lady Eragana to be served first, and once everyone was served they started eating.

Lady Eragana was the one to break the silence "Tell me Lord Manderly about this land, i don't believe I've even heard a name for it yet. Only that we a currently in the city of White Harbor".

"You have arrived in Westeros My Lady. *Most of the area of Westeros is covered by a political entity known as the Seven Kingdoms, while the far north beyond the wall includes the free folk. The closest foreign nations to Westeros are the Free Cities, a collection of independent city-states across the narrow sea in western Essos. To the south of Westeros lie the Summer Isle. There are five major cities in Westeros, Kings Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, Gulltown, and White Harbor. All regions of Westeros south of the Wall were united under the rule of House Targaryen into a nation known as the Seven Kingdoms, which consists of nine provinces. The north is the largest region, nearly as large as the rest of the regions combined. It is sparsely populated, with vast wilderness, forests, pine-covered hills and snowcapped mountains, although it also is home to one of the five Westerosi cities, ourselves, White Harbor. The northern climate is cold and harsh in the winter, and occasionally it snows even in the summer. It has been ruled by House Stark from Winterfell for thousands of years. It is much less populated than the south part of Westeros. Its southern frontier lies along the Neck, a marshy isthmus separating it from the Southron kingdoms. The narrowness of the region and the difficulty of the terrain make it a natural border for the north, protecting it from invasion. The riverlands, located south of the Neck, are the fertile areas between the Red, Green, and Blue Forks of the Trident, as well as the Gods Eye and much of the Blackwater Rush. The Riverlands are the domain of the Tullys of Riverrun. Although the riverlands lack a city, they have many large towns, such as Maidenpool and Fairmarket. The Vale lies to the east of the riverlands, surrounded almost completely by the Mountains of the Moon. It consists of vast mountain ranges with the people living in valleys between them and along the coast. The Vale's territory also includes the city of Gultown, the Fingers and numerous islands in the Bite and along the narrow sea. The Vale is under the rule of House Arryn. Their seat, the Eyrie, is a castle high in the mountains, small but unassailable. Due to the Vale's harsh winters, travel is only possible through the mountains during certain seasons. The westerlands are the lands to the west of the riverlands and north of the Reach. It is a smaller region, but is home to some of the richest gold and silver mines in Westeros. The westerlands are ruled by House Lannister of Casterly Rock. Lannisport, lying near Casterly Rock, is the chief settlement of the region and one of the great ports and cities of Westeros. The crownlands are lands ruled directly by the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. These lands include King's Landing and the surrounding areas, including Duskendale and Rosby. Going north, one finds Crackclaw Point and several islands in the narrow sea and Blackwater Bay, including Dragonstone, Driftmark, and Claw Isle. The crownlands are south of the Vale, southeast of the riverlands, and northeast of the Reach, and north of the stormlands. The Reach is the largest region except for the north; it encompasses a region of the most fertile part of Westeros and numerous well-populated villages and towns. The Reach is ruled by House Tyrell from Highgarden. The most prominent city in the Reach is Oldtown. It is the oldest city in Westeros, home to the maesters' Citadel, and the Starry Sept, the previous seat of the Faith. The stormlands, located south of King's Landing, stretch down to the Sea of Dorne and are bordered by Shipbreaker Bay in the east and the Reach in the west. It is one of the smaller regions of Westeros, a land of harsh mountains, stony shores, and verdant forests. Dorne is the southernmost region of Westeros. It stretches from the southern Red Mountains near the Dornish Marches to the southern coast of the continent. It is the hottest kingdom in Westeros and features the only desert on the continent. Dornishmen have a reputation for hot-bloodedness as well. They differ both culturally and ethnically from other Westerosi due to the historical migration of the Rhoynar on ten thousand ships".* Wyman was then interrupted from continuing any further by both Rolf and Oswald returning.

They both approached the table, where Rolf then said to Lady Eragana " The Dragons Pearl is on her way in My Lady"

"Thank you Rolf" she replied. Oswald then stepped forward with news from the stables " We currently have twenty five free stables My Lord"  
"Very well, have the carriage ready and we shall go down and meet the Lady Eragana's ship". Wyman said wanting to get a look at these foreign ships in person.

As the carriage approached the harbour Wyman watched out the window as a large ship made it's final approach. She had three masts which had white sails unfurled and on them was a blue dragon curled up with the tip of it's nose touching it's hind legs. The ship was obviously capable of making long journeys with a large cargo however it looked hard to handle in smaller areas.

By the time they made it down to the docks the Dragons Pearl was in, the gangplank had been set in place and the first horse, a chestnut stallion, was being brought of the ship. The other twin stepped forward and took the stallion of the man who had brought him down.

"Have him saddled and ready to go Olav. i'll have Luke saddle Spartan and we can get them up to New Castle" Lady Eragana said while walking up to the stallion and giving him a stoke on the nose when he reached out for attention, she then turned back around and said to the rest of her party " you all do the same with your own." before walking back the way she came to get her own horse.

By the time all the horses had been unloaded the sun was starting to set on the horizon, but Wyman watched from the carriage as a collection of twenty of the finest horses he'd ever seen got ready to make the journey through the city. He had a feeling Lady Eragana was going to make life around White Harbor interesting.

* * - information taken of Wiki.


	3. Winterfell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lady Eragana get invited to Winterfell.

Chapter 3

A month had passed since they had arrived in White Harbor and Eragana was starting to get restless. While White Harbour was a busy city there wasn't much variety to the days. Added on to the fact that she'd had very limited time to be able to spend with Saphira, she felt at times like she was about to explode. The boys thought this was hilarious, as with using the excuse of going hunting they where able to slip away from the city a lot easier in order to spend time with the dragons.

The dragons had found themselves a clearing on a near by forested mountain, close enough for them to still be able to hear their riders but far enough that they wouldn't be spotted by any locals. Saphira found it the hardest to keep hidden, usually sleeping the day away and venturing out at night under the cover of darkness. While they did hunt the occasional deer or boar the two boys had gotten a taste for marine life, as that was what they had lived on for most of their life, so the dragons did a lot of hunting out at sea. Where Dumer was a laid back easy going character, Snorre could be a bit of a handful but so far Saphira and Turid together had managed to keep him in line. Which Eragana was thankful for. Having got to know more about Westeros and more specifically the North, she got the felling that the discovery of even one dragon on this land would not bode well for them, and if word got out to the Targaryen king, she knew they would need to make a hasty retreat. From what she had heard of him he sounded much too like Galbatorix for her liking, but the history of his family fascinated Eragana. She had read every text that was in White Harbor she could get her hands on in regards to the Targaryen's dragons. Her readings had even piped Saphira's interest but she still regarded herself as the more magnificent.

Eragana was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on the door of her chambers. She could sense that it was Arlene so she walked over and opened the door. "Sorry to disturb you my lady but Lord Manderly has asked for your presence in the hall" Arlene said as soon as the door was open. Eragana nodded at her and replied "Thank you Arlene, i'll be right down" before turning back into her room to get her cloak. She debated for a moment before picking up Brisingr and putting the belt around her waist and muttering a spell to make it invisible and settling her cloak around her shoulders. The two elves under glamour standing guard outside her chambers silently fell in behind her when she existed the room.

As Eragana approached the Merman's court she saw the three boys had returned from they're hunt (visiting the dragons) and where waiting for her at the doors. "Any idea what this is about" she asked as she approached them. Arne shook his head before his hand went down to rest on the pommel of his sword. Eragana nodded before walking forward through the doors, the three boys falling in behind her.

Lord Manderly sat alone at the top table but for the maester sitting to his right. "My Lady i am sorry to disturb your evening but we have received a raven from Winterfell and it would seem that they are requesting your presence at your earliest convenience." Eragana continued up to the table and took the seat he motioned her to on his left. "Did it mention why? " she asked him. "No but it is probably in reply to the raven i sent to Winterfell explaining your arrival in Westeros. As the Warden of the North it is Lord Rickard's responsibility to keep his land safe. I believe he just wants to meet you in person."

"Well then i suppose we shouldn't keep him waiting" Eragana said before turning to Arne continuing " How soon can we be ready to leave?"

"It would depend on what you wanted to take with you My Lady. We would need to bring the Pearl back in and unload the wagons. I'd say we'd be ready to leave in a few days."

"I trust you can send word to Lord Rickard that we are on are way My Lord?" Eragana asked Lord Wyman. "Yes My Lady, i will have an escort organised for your journey to Winterfell."

"Thank you My Lord. If you'll excuse us it seems we have some work to do" Eragana said as she stood up.

"Yes of course, it was an honour to host your here in New Castle". Eragana gave him a blinding smile before making her way to the door.

"Rolf can you sort getting the wagons of the pearl and sorted with any supplies needed for the journey?"

"I'll send word to the Pearl now and tell them to come in at daybreak" Rolf said while walking towards the main door.

"Olav, can you go down to the stables and have luke and the boys make sure all the horses are fit for travel. Have them fit shoes to them, as I believe we will be travelling over some ruff terrain." Olav nodded his head and went to follow his brother to the stables.

She then turned to Arne and said " Make sure we have the last of the gems in the chest exchanged for gold, just in case".

As Arne went to carry out her orders Eragana proceed back up to her room with her two elven guards behind her.

"And so our journey continues Little One" Saphira spoke up in her mind. Eragana hummed back, before saying "Why do I get the feeling our life is about to change".

Winterfell

Lord Rickard Stark stood in front of his household staff in the courtyard of Winterfell as he waited for their guests to arrive. Word of there approach had came in shortly before noon and he had ordered everyone out to the court yard to receive them. It had been hard work to get Lyanna into a suitable state that was appropriate for her station. Even now he could see her pouting beside her younger brother, Benjen.

The sound of horse's hooves could then be heard striking the cobbled road as the on coming party entered the courtyard. The first four horse's where bearing riders of Lord Manderly's house, obviously the escort he had provided, but behind them came a magnificent stallion who's coat was as black as coal. Even though he must be tired after a long journey the stallion bounced into the court yard. He was stunning and he knew it.

On his back sat a beautiful Lady that simply sat through her mounts antics with a smile on her face. Obviously she was used to this behaviour.

If the first stallion was as dark as night then the stallion that followed him was as light as the sun. On a golden palomino sat one of a set of twins, his golden cape almost blended into his mounts coat while his twin sat on a blood red chestnut, and in between them with a rider wearing a purple cape came a white stallion. Lord Rickard thought that all four stallions wouldn't look out of place on a battlefield.

As the guards came in to view, sixteen he counted, he noticed that most of they're mounts where of a different breed than the four stallions. They where of a stockier breed, the type that would find mountain work easy. Behind the guards came a wagon drawn by four black mare's.

As they came to a halt in front of his family several stable lads rushed out to take a hold of the horses however as the Lad reached for the Lady's stallion it reared up with it's ears pinned back and lashed out with its front legs. He just missed catching the stable lad who had jumped out of the way. "Whoa, easy Spartan, there's no need for that" his rider soothed while stroking along his neck. The stallion calmed immediately as, from further down a boy jumped of his own horse and rushed to the stallions side and went to take the reins. Lord Rickard expected the stallion to react in the same way but he let the boy take the reins, shock his head and gave a snort. Once she had slide down from the saddle, the lady approached the stable lad and said "I'm so sorry about him, he is quite particular about who he let's touch him. Are you OK?"

"Yes my Lady, no harm done. I am sorry, should of known better than to approach a strange horse so quickly"

the Lady just smiled at him before saying "No harm, no foul. I am so used to his quirks that there is nothing he can do to surprise me now" and turned back around to face Lord Rickard and his family.

"Lord Stark, I am Lady Eragana it is a pleasure to except your invitation to your home"

"Lady Eragana. Welcome to Winterfell". Rickard replied. She was even more beautiful than Wyman had described in his letter. From the corner of his eye he could see Benjen gaping at her. Even Lyanna was now looking interested, but he suspected that had more to do with the sword hanging from the Lady Eragana's waist and the bow and quiver attached to her stallions saddle. He suppressed a sigh at his unladylike daughters antics.

"May I introduce to you my daughter Lyanna and my youngest son Benjen. My two eldest are currently being fostered in other houses so are not here".

"It is a pleasure to meet you both" Lady Eragana said while dipping here head at each in turn. she then turned to the three men behind her "This is Lord Arne of Trune, If I am not available for any reason it is Arne that you should speak to. I trust him with my life" she said while gesturing to the man with the purple cape. He was a tall, muscular man, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She then gestured to the twins "The twins are Olav and Rolf Windsong"

"Pleasure to meet you all" Rickard said bowing his head slightly at them in greeting. " I'm sure you are tired from the journey, please come inside. Talia here will show you to your rooms, where you can freshen up if you like before we eat. A feast has been organised." he said while gesturing to the servant girl standing of to the side.

" Thank you My Lord that would be lovely." Lady Eragana replied.

As Lady Eragana's party got settled he asked his children to meet him in the great hall. As they approached he pinned Lyanna with a stern stare and said "I want you both to be on your best behaviour tonight. These people are unknowns to us and we need to give of the right impression. They could either be a valuable ally or a dangerous enemy"

"Yes father" they both replied. Rickard kept his gaze on Lyanna a little longer to try and gauge the sincerity of her answer but her eyes gave nothing away. "Right well go get ready for the feast. I want you both down here before any of Lady Eragana's party"

As the two of them exited the hall he took a long drink of ale, hoping and praying to the old gods he'd done the right thing inviting the Lady Eragana into his castle.


	4. Swordplay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know the Stark's

Well here's chapter four. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter Four

The feast was in full swing. Eragana sat at the top table with Lord Rickard Stark to her right and Arne to her left. Beside Lord Stark sat his son Benjen and beside him Lyanna while the twins sat to the left of Arne. All of Eragana's guards, but for two of the elves, Tarin and Halden, where taking part and enjoying the feast down at the lower tables mixed in with Lord Stark household. While most wouldn't see it, Eragana could see the difference in the behaviour of the humans in her guard to the elves. They were still slightly to reserved, especially with this crowd. The Northerners reminded her of Caravahall, of the nights spent down by the tavarn with Roran and the boys listening to the antics of the patrons. A loud cheer went up at the other side of the room and drew Eragana's gaze. It seemed a drinking contest had started. Eragana suppressed a smile as she notices the twins slipping away from the table in that direction.

Lord Stark noticed what had caught her gaze "I apologise for the racket they can make sometimes my Lady. My men work hard, and play even harder"

" No need to apologise Lord Stark, they remind me of where I grew up." Eragana replied with a soft smile in his direction.

Lord Stark looked slightly surprised before replying " I hope you don't mind me asking My Lady, but where would that be?"

"A long way from here. I come from a land called Alagaësia. I left it just over fifteen years ago, at the end of the war."

This got Lord Stark's attention "The War?" he asked.

In her mind Saphira spoke up 'Be careful little one. Telling him to much could be dangerous'.

'I Know, but not telling him anything will only make him suspicious' she replied.

"Alagaësia was under the rule of King Galbatorix. He was a mad man. The Whole country suffered under his rule. A rebellion group, known as the Varden, was started by my father to try to overthrow him. After many years of fighting and too many lives lost we finally won and Galbatorix was defeated. A new leader was elected by the people.

During the years of the war the Varden was secertly funded and supplied by the three other regions of Alagaësia outside of Galbatorix's rule. Surda was a region in the south of Alagaësia. It became independent from Galbatorix's Empire early on in his rule. The Beor Mountains, a vast and incredibly tall mountain range in the southeast of Alagaësia was the home to the Varden for many years in the city of Tronjheim. It's location, inside the hollow mountain Farthen Dûr, meant that it was incredibly hard for the king to attack. He managed it eventually, but it was a batle that he lost.

The people of Du Weldenvarden, which is a dense forest region which covers the north of Alagaësia, where also supporters of the Varden. The cities of Ceris and Ellesméra are located within the forest. Their Princess, Arya, was the Vardans ambassador for her people, and she became one of my closest friends. She is Queen now.

What was "The Empire" covers the west of Alagaësia and was the area under the control of King Galbatorix. The region is split by an untamed mountain range known as The Spine. Very few venture into it. Galbatorix lost half his army when he tried to tame it and never tried again. The Palancar Valley, a major valley of The Spine, is the location of my hometown, Carvahall. It's winters, like the North's from what I've heard, can be quite harsh.

The Hadarac Desert is a giant desert which covers the middle of Alagaësia. Northwest of the mainland lies the island of Vroengard, containing the city of Doru Araeba. Unfortunatley it is no longer inhabital."

"And how is it that you ended up in Westeros? I've never heard of anyone that has mentioned even one of those regions, so you must of travelled far."

"After the war I found that I'd become so used to constantly being on the move or doing something that to try and settle down in one place just didn't seem possible for me. My half brother had already disappeared as soon as the war was over and my cousin had a wife with a baby on the way, so I decided it was time to explore the unknown seas. I left Alagaësia with 12 guards and one ship."

Lord Stark looked at her for a few seconds before saying "But yet you arrived here today with a few extra."

"Yes" Eragana replied smiling," I have a habit of picking up strays", looking fondly over to Arne. "I've also added five ships onto the original one aswell. All of which have a crew.

Lord Stark looked like he wanted to question her further on that but was interrupted by his daughter who had obviously gotten bored.

"Why do you carry a sword?" the Lady Lyanna asked Eragana. Lord Stark sent his daughter a sharp look before scolding her "Lyanna do not be so rude"

"No Lord Stark it's OK, I know it is an unusual sight here. And to answer your question Lady Stark, woman of the Varden learned quickly that we could die just as easily with or without a sword in our hand. At least if we knew how to use a sword we were able to defend ourselves if we where ever attacked unexpectedly. My father began my training when it became clear that I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines. I'm also quite good with a bow and arrow."

Eragana could see how Lyanna's eyes lit up as she talked. This was a young girl who wished to be trained to fight, but Eragana suspected her father had forbidden it. Perhaps Eragana should organise a training session with the boys tomorrow, if Lyanna just happened to be watching there was nothing Lord Stark could say.

'Little One must you meddle' Eragana smiled at Saphira's resigned tone. She knew Eragana's mind was made up.

'Arne, I think a training session is needed tomorrow' Eragana let Arne know her thoughts on Lyanna and he had much the same reaction as Saphira.

'Do you think she could be rider material ?' he went on

'You never know. We'll keep an eye on the eggs. See if any show any signs of hatching'

Eragana replied as she wondered on it a bit longer.

Before the conversation could go any further there was a huge cheer from the direction the twins had disappeared off to. Looking over she could see Olav going up against one of Lord Stark's guards in a drinking contest.

' Oh no' she thought to herself before turning to Lord Stark. "Lord Stark we thank you for your hospitality and the feast was fantastic but I'm afraid I must get the twins of to bed before they cause a scene. They don't let themselves go often but when they do it can get a little messy. I'd rather get them out before it gets to that point."

Lord Stark looked down to the crowd that had gathered around the duo just as an other cheer rang out "Yes, it may be a good idea to break that up. I would like to invite you to join my family in breaking our fast in the morning."

As Eragana stood up she dipped her head in acknowledgement and agreed to join them before turning back around to Arne to ask for his assistance with the twins.

By the time they got the twins away from the feast Eragana was exhausted. She spent a while catching up with Saphira, who had been scooping out the hunting area, before collapsing Into bed and falling into her dreamless sleep.

Swordplay

Eragana stood at the side of the training area watching Arne and Rolf spar. She would make the odd comment on their forms when needed but most of the time they knew themselves what needed fixed before the words where out of her mouth. This session was more for Lyanna's benefit. She'd arrived not long after the two had started practice and had been watching with rapt attention ever since. From watching the guards of Winterfell train Eragana knew the way the boys where fighting was completely new to Lyanna. She wasn't the only one watching either. Gradually most of the guards had abandoned their own practices to watch.

Finally in a move so fast that most eyes wouldn't be able to catch Arne was able to disarm Rolf and put his wooden practice sword to his throat.

"Good. Your getting there Rolf " Eragana said walking over to the pair. "Take a break and I'll practice with Olav"

Rolf walked away sniggering and patted his brother on the shoulder as he walked past "Good luck, you'll need it"

Eragana rolled her eyes before looking to Olav and saying "You'll be fine. It's just practice" As she got a practice sword she could hear Olav muttering to Arne

"Easy for her to say. She's not about to get her ass handed to her In front of all these guys"

She pretended she didn't hear him and tossed him a sword. For a few minutes they just watched each other before Olav got impatient and attacked. Eragana let him drive her back a bit before she spun away and danced around him and attacked his open back. He was able to spin round in time to catch her sword just before she struck a killing blow. This time she went on the defence before he managed to get his balance back, striking hard blows down at him, before eventually he couldn't hold her back anymore.

As she gave him back his sword she had a glance around her. Every guard in the yard was now watching and most of they're mouths where hanging open in shock. Lyanna was bouncing on the spot in glee.

Before they could start up again Lyanna came running over "Can you teach me how to fight like that please?"

Just as Eragana was about to reply Lord Rickard's voice came from behind "Lyanna why are you not in your lessons?"

Lyanna didn't even look guilty as she turned to look at her father and completely ignored his question. " Father, please can I learn to fight like Lady Eragana, please"

"Lyanna, we've been over this before. Now return to your lessons"

" But father" Lyanna started but was interrupted by Lord Rickard "Lyanna I will not ask again". She obviously realised she was pushing her luck as she turned back towards the castle, the very image of self-pity. Lord Rickard then turned to Eragana and said "I apologise for my daughter, please continue with your practice". Before Eragana could reply Lord Rickard had turned around and followed his daughter Into the castle, most likely making sure she made it to her lessons. Arne had walked up beside her by then and as Lord Rickard disappeared he muttered "huh, interesting" before walking over to Olav to give him a few tips.

'Please do not get involved Little One ' Saphira said to her having watched the whole interaction. ' Something is telling me she needs to know how to defend herself Saphira' Eragana said back to her before going back to Olav to continue practice.

Once she had thoroughly destroyed all three boys she left to their practice with the Stark guards. She walked towards the stables to check with Luke that Spartan had settled alright. On her way there something pulled her in the direction of a opening into a forested area. As she walked through the trees she could feel the age of them, they where old, very old. The oldest she could feel was a bone white tree with red leaves in the centre. As she got closer she saw a pool of water with the tree at its edge. The tree had a carving of a face on its trunk and from the eyes where red tears. She could feel the power coming of the tree.

"We call it the Heart tree and they are sacred in the religion of the Old Gods of the Forest, and the closest thing to a "shrine" that our religion possesses." Eragana turned round to see Benjen behind her.

"I'd heard of them but never got to see one" she replied

"I saw you in the training yard" Benjen said "I've never seen anyone fight like that before."

Eragana smiled at him before saying "I've a lot of practice and had some very good teachers"

Benjen looked at her for a few moments before saying " My father sent me to ask you to join him in his solar"

Eragana nodded her head before following him back towards the castle.


	5. Lyanna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyanna gets to start training.

I'm thrilled that your all enjoying this story do much. it's been hard to write but unlike other time's I've tried, inspiration keeps coming. I've had so many different ideas on where I want it to go. I'm also trying to make the chapters a little longer and I can't wait to introduce the two older Stark boys to the Lady Eragana.

Chapter Five

The air was extremely chilling up where Saphira flew, and Eragana brought her gloved hands up to pull her new fur lined cloak closer around her to try and keep in some heat. She had cast a spell to try and keep warm but they where so high up that even it wasn't enough to keep the cold out. It had been too long since they flew together and she could feel the contentment from Saphira through they're bond as they simply glided above the clouds. Eragana and Arne had slipped away from the castle after the castle had fallen asleep. It had been easy enough to spell themselves invisible to the guards on duty, not the they would of noticed, what with them being half asleep while standing up. Arne and Turid had gone to do they're own thing, leaving Eragana and Saphira to spend what little time they had together alone.

As they flew Eragana let her mind drift back to the day before and her conversation with Lord Stark. He was a shrewd man, intelligent and observant, and Eragana could see that he cares deeply for his children. Unfortunately when it came to his daughter, Lyanna he was out of his depths.

She was a strong willed girl, and having grown up without a mother and spending her whole life trying to keep up with her older brothers, the whole concept of her father trying to make her a respectable Lady has her rebelling. Eragana can see her younger self In the girl. Which was what drove her to compromise with Lord Stark on Lyanna's training. If he let's Lyanna train to defend herself, she'll turn his rebellious daughter into a Lady of the North. It took a lot of convincing but eventually Lord Stark relented and gave Eragana permission to proceed.

Saphira had obviously been following her line of thought, which didn't surprise Eragana considering how intwined they're minds where since they reunited. 'It is unlikely that she will be able to follow the Rimgar Little One.

'I Know. We'll start with some simple movement's and see what flexibility she has. She may be able to do some low level Rimgar but the hard part is going to be getting her to act more Lady like'. She could feel Saphira vibrate under her as she chuckled in amusement.

'You have no one to blame but yourself for the situation you are in' she said with laughter in her voice.

'thank you Saphira for your support' she replied sarcastically.

It was then that they could hear the thud thud of wings beating the air around them and could sense the arrival of Arne and Turid.

" We should head back. The sun will be coming up soon and we need to get back inside the castle" Arne said over to Eragana when Turid came level with Saphira. Eragana felt disappointed that her time with Saphira was being cut short but she nodded her head at Arne's words before Saphira banked to the right to head back to the clearing where they had left the horses.

Getting back into the castle was as easy as getting out but with the sun coming up meant that Eragana and Arne weren't going to be getting any more sleep. Luckily Eragana had retired early the night before and had been able to get a few hours before leaving to see Saphira. Arne on the other hand wasn't so lucky. She smirked at his tired expression when they parted ways to go to there chambers to change for breakfast.

The two elves at her door had changed since she left but they had obviously been informed of where she had been by the previous two. She felt a mental knock on her mind and she let her shield's down slightly to see what they wanted. ' Did you have a nice flight Argetlam?' she was asked. 'Yes it was nice to get up with her for a while. Was there any problems here while we were gone''No. We took over from Tarin and Halden not long ago and they where undisturbed. Arlene arrived shortly before you to get things ready for the day'

Eragana nodded her head at them as she opened the door. Arlene lifted her head up from where she was laying clothes on the bed. " My Lady, did you have a good flight" she said as she came over to take Eragana's cloak. " Yes it was nice. Chilly but we where very high in the clouds". Eragana replied.

"Carin let me know when they sensed you returning to the castle so I have a bath ready for you My Lady". Arlene said, speaking of one of the elves standing outside the door.

"Thank you Arlene. Could you make sure that there are clothes for training left out. I've been given permission by Lord Stark to train Lady Lyanna in self defence, and I was hoping to start this afternoon."

"Of course My Lady."

Eragana made her way behind the screen to undress while Arlene hung up her cloak and went to the closest to find some training clothes. Eragana put the gown that was lying over the screen on and walked over to the bath and got in, lying the gown on the table beside it. As Eragana relaxed in the warm water Arlene came over to collect her dirty clothes and put them with the rest of the laundry before returning to the bath. She grabbed a cup from the table and collected some water before pouring it over Eragana's tilted head. Once she had the hair wet she lifted the soaps and started messaging it through Eragana's hair.  
Eragana had nearly drifted of when Arlene started rinsing the soap away. Once Arlene had her hair rinsed and pinned up on top of her head she handed Eragana a soapy cloth for her to wash her body. Once that was done Eragana stood up in the bath and Arlene gave her a new wet cloth and held a fresh bucket of hot water for her to rinse her body of with.  
Once she was clean Eragana wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the bath.

As Eragana sat in front of the fire while Arlene brushed her hair she thought on how to handle Lyanna. She was a strong willed girl and trying to force her to do anything was going to be a losing battle, she had to think it was her idea. But Eragana was determined to show Lyanna that acting like a Lady wasn't all bad. In fact Eragana found that her opponents often underestimated her for that very reason.

Once her hair was dry and Arlene had finished braiding it back of her face Eragana went over to the bed to see what Arlene had laid out. It was perfect for what she had in mind drift regards to Lyanna. Until now Lyanna had only seen her in outfits that aloud her ease of movement for fighting but yet still looked Ladylike. This dress was worthy of a princess. A gift from King Orrin as one of his proposal attempts. It had a fitted bodice that had white sapphires on the square neckline and the skirt flared out from the waist and flowed to the floor. Despite the awkward situation in how she got the dress, It was one of Eragana's favourites and usual keep for special occasions but she needed to show Lyanna that you can know how to fight and be a Lady at the same time.

Lyanna

As she made her way down to breakfast Lyanna plotted on how to get out of her lessons for the day and follow the Lady Eragana. Ever since she had arrived Lyanna had been fascinated by the strange Lady. Unlike many other Lady's she actually seemed to care about those around her. Just yesterday Lyanna had watched her help a stable lad with one of the newer mounts in the stables, a particular stubborn and unpredictable chestnut mare.  
The Lady Eragana had stepped in after the mare had reared up and nearly taken the boys head of. Within a few moments and some murmured words that Lyanna couldn't hear she had the mare following her around like a docile child's pony. Many other Ladies, had they seen the whole affair would of had the stable boy dismissed for incompetence but Lady Eragana then spent a good part of the afternoon with the stable lad and the mare and by the end of it they boy and horse where the best of friends.

As she made her way into the hall Lyanna saw that her father and brother where already seated at the table and that a servant was setting down food platers for them. Lyanna went to her seat and sat down where a servant brought her own plate of cold cuts, cheese and fruit. They had only started eating when they could hear the sound of heeled boots entering the hall. Lyanna looked toward the door and her jaw dropped. Walking through with her two guards at her back was the Lady Eragana, but the outfit she was wearing was unlike anything Lyanna had seen her in so far. The blue dress was fitted to show of her curves and slim waist before tampering out to a flowing skirt that fluttered around her ankles as she walked. It seemed that she had left her sword in her chambers today but Lyanna suspected that she wasn't completely weaponless. Half her hair was braided in an elaborate twist at the back of her head before falling down her back in soft curls.

The hall fell silent as they watched the beautiful Lady gracefully make her way to the table. Lyanna looked at the guards that where having they're own meal and noticed that they had they're mouths slightly open, watching her float across the hall. Lyanna envied her in the ability to move so seamlessly in her long dress. It seemed, after a quick glance at her father, that no one could resist falling under her spell.

Lyanna noticed that the Lady Eragana called over one of the servants and said a few words to her before the serving girl left the hall in the direction of the kitchens. When she came back Lyanna noticed that she had three plates of fruit and cheese but no meat. Lady Eragana's two guards took a plate each from the girl and went to sit at a near by table. Noticing Lyanna's gaze on her Lady Eragana smiled before saying "While i do eat some meat i do not like to have it with every meal. Carin and Reljin however abstain from it completely." she said gesturing her head towards her two guards.

Lady Eragana then turned towards her father and asked "Have you told her yet?"  
"No i haven't" her father replied.  
Before Lyanna could help herself she asked " Told me what?" which drew a annoyed look from her father.  
"The Lady Eragana and i had a long talk and it was decided that she would train you in some self defence," before he could gp any further Lyanna interrupted him  
"Really, oh thank you father"  
"Their are conditions" he continued pretending she hadn't spoke "You will not be training until you have completed all of your lessons and chores, and i will be making sure you have gone to them" he warned.  
Lyanna knew this was a big deal for her father to give in to this so she replied "Yes father of course" while nearly vibrating in her seat with excitement.  
Lady Eragana then spoke up "We will have the first session this afternoon after your lessons, so the quicker you get through your set tasks the quicker we get started"

At that Lyanna tore into her breakfast in order to get to her lessons and be done with them. Beside her she could hear Benjen snickering, so she kicked him in the shin under the table, which soon stopped him. She could see her father scowl in her direction but he didn't say anything.

As Lyanna rushed out of the hall towards her lesson Eragana smirked and looked over to Lord Stark. He was staring after his daughter in surprise "Well that's a first"  
Eragana just smiled at him before asking "Is there any rooms avaliable that we could use this afternoon? We are only going to be working on foot work and on how to defend with out a weapon and i don't want her being watched for a while."

Lord Stark nodded before saying "You can use one of the empty rooms on the ground floor. I may come by and watch later if you don't mind."  
"That will be fine but i do request that you simply watch and keep your silence." Lord Stark nodded his head before rising from his chair and following his daughter out the door, Benjen hot on his heels.

Training

For the first time in many weeks Lyanna attended all of her lessons and completed all of her chores as quickly as she could. Now she stood in her fathers solar while he got a report on her behaviour for the day, hoping he kept his word and that she would be training with Lady Eragana. Once the measter finished giving his report her father looked at her before calling in one of the guards. "Go find the Lady Eragana and tell her that Lady Lyanna is finished her lessons for today and is ready for her at her earliest convenience" the guard bowed before turning to carry out his orders. Lyanna started bouncing on the spot in excitement. Her father then turned to her and said "You need to listen to Lady Eragana and do what ever she says even if you don't see the point in it" Lyanna almost rolled her eyes before nodding "Yes father"  
"Alright, you best go get changed into some clothes suitable for training."

Lyanna didn't need to be told twice, she was out the door before her father had even finished talking. Lord Rickard shook his head in exasperation at his daughter antics.

When the guard found Eragana she was in the paddock with spartan who was running free around her. She lifted her left arm and twisted it a bit to the side and he spun round and cantered the other way, tossing his head in delight. Eragana kept driving him round before turning her back on him. Behind her she could hear him come to a stop then start making his way towards her to nuzzle her shoulder. Eragana turned towards him and gave him a scratch behind the ears before turning round and walking toward the fence, spartan trailing behind her. As she got to the fence the guard bowed before saying "Lord Stark sent me to tell you that Lady Lyanna has finished her lessons for the day and is ready at your earliest convenience"  
Eragana smiled in amusement at how early the young girl was finished and replied "Thank you, can you let Lyanna know to be at the door to the great hall in an hour"  
The guard bowed again before replying "Yes My Lady" and making his way back to the castle.  
Spartan had got fed up being ignored by that point and nudged her on the shoulder so she put her hand back up to his ears before telling him goodbye and walking to the gate, leaving him out a bit longer.

Once Eragana was changed into her training clothes she headed down to the hall to meet Lyanna. When she approached the door she could see that Lyanna was already there waiting on her. Lyanna noticed her approach and a smile split her face before she started walking towards her. Eragana could see it was taking everything in her to stop herself from starting to run.

Eragana smiled at the young girl before tilting her head to the side and saying "Come on, your father has given us a room in the castle so we can train in the warmth and without nosy guards." before starting to walk down a seldom used corridor.

"Now, i know this may disappoint you but we won't be doing any sword work today" Eragana said as they entered a empty room "but you need to know how to move your feet first."  
While she was a bit disappointed Lyanna remembered what her father said before and nodded her head.

"OK, first we are going to do some stretches. Stretching is an important part of fitness. It can improve your range of motion, increase circulation, and calm your mind." As Eragana said this she got into position to show Lyanna what she want her to do. "So first I want you to stand with your feet together and your arms straight overhead." she said doing just that. Lyanna followed her example. "Clasp your hands together, with your fingers interlaced and pointer fingers extended. Then i want you to inhale as you reach upward." Seeing that she had copied her Eragana continued "Then breathe out as you bend your upper body to the right. Take five slow breaths then slowly return to the center. We will then repeat this on the left side." Lyanna followed her words exactly and did the stretch perfectly. Eragana made her do that stretch a few times before moving on.

"For the second stretch i want you to stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your knees slightly bent." Lyanna followed her instructions and waited for the next instruction. "Interlace your fingers behind your back." Eragana watched her to make sure that she could reach without hurting herself before continuing. "Breathe in and straighten your arms to expand your chest. Exhale and bend at your waist, letting your hands stretch toward your head and hold for five deep breaths." Eragana watched as she followed her instructions. "Do you feel your muscles burning?" She asked her. Lyanna stepped out of the stretch and nodded her head.  
"Good, that means it's working. I want you to do these stretches every morning "

Just then there was a knock on the door. Eragana told them to come in and Arne entered the room. Eragana turned to Lyanna and said "I've asked Arne to join us so that we can show you some self defence moves. The first move we are going to show you is how to escape a hold any attackers could have you in when using the neck". As she said this Arne came up behind her and wrapped his right arm around the front of her neck and his left arm bent up with his left hand cupping the back of her head.

"The first thing you do is protect your airway. Turn your head toward the side from which your attacker is choking you. This will ensure that your airway doesn't get cut off. Use your hands to grab onto your attacker's arm, with your fingers on the inside of her arm, near your chin. Then tuck your chin. Raise or shrug your shoulders so you create a space where you can tuck your chin down to your body and get your fingers into the space between his arm and your chin. Aim to tuck your chin into the crook of his elbow, that is where there will be the most wiggle room. Sink down in his hold by bending your will make it more difficult for your attacker to lock his arm onto your neck. Take a step back on the side that your attacker is choking you and step your foot back behind his foot to lock in his leg. Don't arch your back backward. Instead, keep your back curved forward. If you lean back, you render yourself defenseless with no balance you need to make sure that your legs are calf-to-calf. Turn out and throw him down. Bend your knees and turn 180° toward your stepped foot. Your hands should still be on his arm, in between your chin and his arm. Once out of the headlock, pull diagonally across your body to throw your attacker to the ground. Keep your opposite foot, the foot that didn't lock behind your attacker's leg, strong so as to trip your opponent as you throw him to the ground across your body."

Lyanna watched in shock as the Lord Arne landed on his back at Lady Eragana's feet. Eragana turned to look at her and noticed her disbelief. "So would you like to learn how to do that?"Eragana asked her. Eragana thought her head was going to fall of with how hard she was nodding it.

They spent a while working through the move with Lyanna and she was starting to get the hang of it by the time Lord Stark arrived. Eragana could see his shock when he entered the room just as Lyanna was able to get out of the headlock but not quite able to flip Arne. "Ok Lyanna i think that may be enough for today. I want you to do those stretches again to cool down, and remember to do them in the morning" Lyanna nodded and beamed at her, sweat running down her face but she looked calm and happy. As Lyanna went through her stretches again Eragana walked over to Lord Stark "She's a very fast learner, My Lord. She picked up today's move very quickly and she's still very young." Lord Rickard still seemed to be in shock because he just nodded while watching his daughter. Once Lyanna was done Eragana sent her of to get ready for the evening meal while she made her way to do the same.

Arlene was waiting for her with an other bath where Eragana washed of the training session before making her way down to the evening meal.


	6. Saphira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saphira meets Lyanna.

Ok guys, just thought I'd let you know that this will be a Eragana/Ned pairing story. However I do eventually want to do a Eragana/Rhaegar story. Would that be something you'd be interested in?

Chapter 6

It had been nearly three moons since Eragana's party had arrived in Winterfell, and Eragana was enjoying herself. Lyanna had come a long way in a short space of time and she was seriously considering testing her for an egg despite how young the girl was. Saphira wanted to meet her too and Eragana was considering it.

For the last few days the castle had been in a state of organised chaos as not only was Lord Stark expecting his eldest son home but it was Lyanna's name day shortly after Eragana had designed a beautiful dress for Lyanna after her favourite blue gown. She'd caught Lyanna admiring it the few times she'd worn it so she was having one similar made for her in a darker green with a white direwolf howling on the bodice. She'd also had a new dress for herself made, in her own colours with a larger grey direwolf just above her waist in honour of her host.

In order to escape the madness of the castle for a short time, Eragana had convinced Lord Stark to let Eragana take Lyanna out riding, under the guise of Eragana wanting to see the lands of the North surrounding the castle. With how well Lyanna had been behaving lately it didn't take much convincing him to let her go.

Eragana hoped to be away for a good portion of the day so she had asked Arlene so organise some food for them to take with them. Lord Rickard was sending guards with Lyanna and Eragana was having the three boy's come along as well. As Eragana got ready to head down to the stables she thought on the prospect of introducing Lyanna to Saphira, and on if the girl would keep her silence or tell her father. While they could handle a bad reaction, Eragana had grown found of the girl and staying in Winterfell and didn't want to risk having to leave early.

The stables where full of activity when Eragana entered to get Spartan. Eragana spotted Lyanna standing next to an already saddled grey mare. There were three guards standing near her which she didn't look to happy about and Arne was in his stallions stable finishing of his girth. As she walked towards Spartans stable Arlene walked in behind her with three packs, each with food in them. She gave one pack to Arne, who lay it over the back of his saddle and set the other two packs on the saddles of the twins horses who where yet to be tacked up. As Eragana opened the door to Spartans stable she noticed that he already had his bridle on and that Luke was in with him giving him a good groom, making his coat shine.

"He's gorgeous" She heard from behind her and turned around to see that Lyanna had joined her. Spartans ears twitched slightly in her direction before flopping back in contentment to the grooming. Eragana laughed a little at him before replying to Lyanna "Yes and he knows it. I've never meet a more entitled horse. Poor Luke here is nothing more than a servant in Spartans eye's." she smiled humorously in Lukes direction to let him know she was joking around. Suddenly Spartans ears pinned themselves to the back of his head and Eragana looked back to Luke who had just finished grooming him and had gone over to get his saddle. Eragana looked back at Lyanna and said "See. That face is because Luke dared to stop grooming him", Lyanna giggled as she watched Luke slowly put the saddle over his back, waiting for Spartans reaction, however his attention had been taken by Eragana as she rubbed circles into his head with the tips of her fingers.

By the time Eragana was leading Spartan out of his stable the twins had shown up and where just finishing of their own horses. As the group mounted, Lord Stark arrived. "I've had word from some surrounding houses that they have had a bit a trouble with bandits so be careful out there today. I've organised extra patrols to see if we can catch them or scare them of."

" Don't worry Lord Stark, well be fine." Eragana replied. " they're more than enough here capable of taking on a few bandits, but we'll be careful" she said trying to reassure him. Lord Stark nodded and moved out of the way and watched as they trotted out of the courtyard.

They rode for most of the morning before stopping in a clearing beside a stream to let the horses quench their thirst and for them to have the food that Arlene had packed. Once they had eaten enough Eragana decided to have Lyanna do a little practice against Olav. She'd only ever sparred against Eragana or Arne before so Eragana wanted see how she fared up against a unknown opponent. The uneven ground was also something she had never come across in the training room in the castle either. They hadn't been practising very long, Lyanna doing quite well against such an experienced fighter, when Saphira spoke to her from where she was circling in the clouds high above

'Eragana, you have company heading your way' at Saphira's words she had a quick glance at Lyanna before relaxing back into the tree she was sitting against before merging her mind with Saphira to see what she saw.

About a mile away and moving in their direction where twelve riders. Whether they where Lord Stark's patrol or the bandits he had warned about, she could not tell yet but they obviously did not know they where there yet but Eragana knew if they stayed here for much longer they would come across them soon. If they where the bandits getting Lyanna and her guards to move without them questioning it after just starting practice was going to be hard.

'Try and get a bit closer to see if they are Stark men or bandits' Eragana said to Saphira before reaching out to Arne

'Arne, Saphira has spotted riders coming this way. She is checking it out. Do we wait, and hope they are friendly or move?''

'How many? ' was what she got back.

'Saphira counted twelve about a mile away' she said before giving him the visual she got from Saphira.

'That shouldn't be a problem for us if they are bandits' Arne replied.

'Yes but I don't want Lyanna caught in the middle of it'

''Rolf and I will go and scout them out and head them of if they seem to be getting to close' Eragana nodded her head in agreement and he went over to his horse and removed his bow and arrows while Rolf did the same, Arne having told him silently what was happening.

Lyanna's guards had noticed the movement's of the two and Arne gave them an explanation before they asked "Just going to see if we can get a bit of hunting in while they practice. Hopefully we'll get something to take back to the castle for evening meal." the guards seemed to accept this explanation and went back to watching Lyanna and Olav.

'Eragana it's bandits heading your direction' Saphira let Eragana know just as Arne and Rolf slipped into the woods. She sent the news after Arne and got an acknowledging grunt back.

'Stay with them and let Arne know what direction they go in'. Eragana didn't need a reply to know she'd do just that.

As Lyanna got disarmed by Olav again Eragana kept her senses attuned to what was going on in the forest around them. She could faintly hear the sound of Dumer and Snorres wings beating as they hovered above where Arne and Rolf had set up to keep an eye on the bandits. She could also sense though Saphira that Turid had joined her, giving Arne a dragon's eye view of them approaching.

They had got close. Close enough that the dragons circled together watching the proceedings. Through Saphira's eyes she saw the boys draw their bows and knock an arrow before picking a target and releasing. They heard the shouts from the clearing. Lyanna froze then spun around toward where the sound came from while the guards hands went to the hilts of their swords. Before Eragana could say anything Lyanna went tearing of into the woods with Eragana hot on her heels once she'd realised what had happened. Rolf followed after telling the guards to stay with the horses. Eragana caught up with her easy enough but decided to let her go on. This was a mistake she could learn from while Eragana could still control the situation. She let her thoughts be known to the boys and Rolf slipped back a bit at the rear.

When they reached the fight there where already seven dead. Four had arrows sticking out of them while the other three had been taken down by blade. Lyanna realised her mistake in rushing in, when she reached for her side only to find that she didn't have a sword, having taken the sword Eragana gave her of to practice. Eragana drew Brisingr and stood in front of Lyanna to make sure she was kept safe. One of the bandits noticed them and came to attack thinking two ladies would be an easy target. How wrong he was. Eragana had him beheaded in a simple duck and swing. Olav rushed past them to get at the three other bandits Rolf and Arne where battling. Eragana counted the dead again, plus the three still alive and realised there was one missing. She was just reaching out with her senses to try and find him when she heard Lyanna gasp behind her. Eragana spun around to find the missing bandits had somehow snuck up behind them and pressed his knife to Lyanna's throat. "Move and the pretty Lady dies" by that time two more bandits where dead and Arne had the other in the same position as Lyanna was in.

" You really want to let her go" Eragana told him, watching his hand carefully as he pressed the blade tighter against Lyanna's neck. She had a look behind him before glancing at Lyanna and said to her "Do you trust me?"

"Yes" she managed to get out before the bandit grabbed her hair and pulled her head back.

Eragana looked back at the man and said "I'll give you one more chance. Let her go and I may let you live" the bandit just smirked before leaning his head down towards Lyanna's neck. Lyanna cringed away from him but was stopped when the knife dug into her neck.

" Have it your way then" Eragana said to him

'Saphira would you like to do the honours?'

'With pleasure' was Saphira's growled reply as she dived for the ground.

"And what is a little lady like you going to do to me?"

"Oh it's not me you have to worry about" Eragana said smirking as she looked behind the bandit at Saphira as she landed silently. "It's her" she said pointing behind them. The bandit in Arne's hold could clearly see her and had gone as pale as snow in shock. The one holding Lyanna could see his companions reaction and started to turn to the side. The minute his eyes where of her and his grip had loosened in shock at Saphira's presence, Eragana jumped towards him and ripped Lyanna from his arms and then retreated, leaving Saphira to have her fun.

When Lyanna turned around and saw Saphira she gasped, looking over to Eragana with wide eye's, before saying in a low unbelieving voice "That's a dragon" Eragana chuckled before nodding her head and saying "Lyanna I would like you to meet Saphira. My longest and dearest companion." Before more could be said Saphira let out a growl and reached forward with her front right paw and pinned the bandit to the ground before leaning her head down towards him and blowing smoke at him out of her nostrils. That was all the bandit could take as he fainted soon after. Saphira lifted her head back up in disappointment and looked over to the bandit Arne held only to find that he two had fallen unconscious. She wiped her tail about in dissatisfaction.

"Saphira I would like you to meet Lady Lyanna Stark" through Lyanna's still shocked face she could see her looking at her a bit bewildered as to why she was introducing her to a dragon when Saphira opened her mind to Lyanna and said directly to her 'It's a pleasure to finally meet you Little wolf '

" She can talk" If it was possible Lyanna looked even more shocked.

'Yes Little Wolf I can. You'll find that i am quite different than those inferior beasts of the Targaryen's you may have learnt about' Eragana rolled her eyes at Saphira before saying to Lyanna "The treatment of the Targaryen's dragons are a bit of a sore point for Saphira"

"But how does she know about them?"

"Because are minds are connected. What I see so does Saphira and vice versa. We are forever bonded. Saphira's kind will only hatch when they feel the presence of their riders. She waited a thousand years before hatching for me " Eragana said while smiling up at Saphira who had came closer while they talked. Saphira lowered her head and Eragana rested her forehead against her muzzle for a few moments before letting her go.

Lyanna was still looking shocked but Eragana could also see some curiosity shinning through. After having a quick conversation with Saphira, Eragana reached out her hand towards her and when Lyanna placed hers in it she pulled her forward and placed it on Saphira's nose. Saphira stayed completely still so as to not spook her while Eragana directed her hand along the side of her head before slipping over the spikes to scratch along her throat. They could both hear her rumble in pleasure at the action and Lyanna let out out a giggle at the feeling of it against her hand.

"She's beautiful" Lyanna said in a awed voice, unconsciously moving her hand out from under Eragana's and finding Saphira's sweet spot which had her twisting her head for a better angle.

While the girls had been busy with Saphira the boys had bound the two bandits and Arne had slipped In to their minds to manipulate their memories to forget Saphira. When they where ready Arne came over to stand beside Eragana, who had stepped back to let Lyanna to stroke Saphira by herself.

" We should probably be heading back to the clearing before Lady Stark's guards come looking for us" Arne said to Eragana. She nodded her head at him before turning to Lyanna.

"I need to stress how important it is for you to keep her a secret" she said to Lyanna " I do wish to tell your father eventually however I am not yet sure of his reaction. I'm sure you can imagine what would happen if the Targaryen's where to find out about her?"  
Mentioning the Targaryen's in that manor was a risk however it seemed to do the trick with Lyanna. She went slightly pale before nodding her head.

" I shall keep my silence as long as you promise me that you mean the North and her people no harm"

"I promise that I do not mean the North or her people any harm. I've grown quite fond of it actually " she said to Lyanna before repeating the promise in the ancient language, which Lyanna gave her a strange look for, so Eragana explained that you couldn't lie in the ancient language and that see had simply repeated her promise. She then turned back to Arne and told him to go with Olav and get the horses and the guard's and bring them here while the girls and Rolf stayed put with the bandits. She then turned to Saphira and said a goodbye to her before watching as she launched herself into the air, buffeting Eragana and Lyanna with air as her powerful wings lifted her into the sky. Before the guards arrived Eragana made sure that the ground hadn't been disturbed to much by Saphira before being bombarded with question by Lyanna on Saphira. Once the guards arrived they strapped the two bandits to their horses, left the dead for the patrols they would have sent out to pick up and headed back to Winterfell.

Lyanna

It was decided on the journey back that Lyanna's rash actions, which could of led to her being seriously hurt, would be kept quite from Lord Stark as long as she promised to learn from her mistake. Having been more spooked by the incident than she would liked to let on she agreed quite easily. It also brought home the fact that no matter how much training Eragana had given her, a real life situation was quite different than training and she had frozen when that knife was pressed against her neck. She knows she owes Lady Eragana her life. However she also felt honoured to be trusted with Eragana's secret. The beautiful Saphira. Ever since she was a young girl she had been fascinated by dragons and now she had meet one in real life. Something no one in westeros has done in hundreds of years. recalling the drawings of the dragons of old, she realised they're where a few differences between them and Saphira. For one Saphira and four legs and her wings where independent from the front one's unlike the Targaryen's dragons. She also seemed more civilised than them. There where stories of what happened to people that tried to even touch them who weren't the old dragon's masters, where as Saphira was quite happy to let Lyanna stroke her without Eragana. She also talked. She was sure if the Targaryen's old dragon's could do that if would of been a know fact. Lyanna found Saphira's displeasure of the Targaryen's quite funny. She shuttered at what would happen if the King was to ever find out about her, not that she thought he would live very long if he tried anything, Saphira's loyalty to Eragana was obvious even in the small amount of time they spent together.

As they approached the castle gates she wondered just how much Eragana and Saphira would change Westeros.

This chapter was hard to write for some reason. I knew what i wanted to happen but getting it into words seemed to be impossible so if it seems a bit lacking, i'm sorry. I tried my best.


End file.
